Maritime Matters

Many thanks to those of you who explained the presence of foreign warships steaming up the Sound last Wednesday - see post here. There's a major exercise, called Joint Warrior 112, going on to the north of us involving NATO and other forces - more details here - which might also explain why this military helicopter flew low over the peninsula yesterday morning. The exercise continues until the 17th October, a fact which is troubling fishermen operating in the area as the GPS system is being jammed, something they weren't warned about.

Aware of what happened to HMS Astute, there are plenty of us here who continue to be very worried about the continuing lack of a Coastguard tug in the Minches. All four Coastguard tugs were withdrawn at the end of September when their contract wasn't renewed, despite dire warnings from everyone who lives around here. The Stornoway and Shetland tugs were reprieved for three months, but they're not back on station. Bureaucratic bungling or what?